We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Filmmaker Harrison Buck of Pandion Creative. Harrison and Pandion are close friends, partners, and collaborators of the oakpool team. Our conversation covers topics ranging from Harrison’s film Meko which is now available streaming on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play – to his upcoming project Dragon Mom, and themes of sustainability, inclusivity, and collaboration that tie all of this beautiful work together.
Origins & Inspiration
Acorns: Where did the first spark for Meko come from? Was it a specific moment on the water, a conversation, or something else that made you feel like this story needed to be told?
HB: The first time I met Meko was my first time to Deep Water Cay. My mom was out fishing with him and came in that day and said I HAD to meet Meko and film with him. We stayed in touch and a couple years later I started work on a film called The Tightest Line. TTL is a “book of short stories” if you will, examining 5 different fly guides, the fish they have spent their lives pursuing, and the environments that they share. I knew I had to have Meko as one of the guides. We really loved filming together, and I always knew there was more to his family story than what we were able to cover in TTL. So after leaving my job in Aspen, I began work exploring what more there was to his story.
Acorns: Seven years is a long time to live with a project. How did your vision for the film evolve from when you first began to what audiences see today?
HB: That’s a great question. While I always knew it could be a feature, the beginning was very modest. I was very much still in recovery from a traumatic brain injury and was trying to figure out if it was even possible for me to DO it. So early on it was just a goal to do it at all. If it had been a 5-minute YouTube shared amongst family and friends, that would have been a huge success at first. Then the storm happened. Then COVID. Then Meko’s brother died. Then the visa issue. Like any good doc, hopefully you start with a good story and an entire other thing is discovered. We pivoted, and became a small part of the story and went from a retrospective to very present.
Acorns: What was your personal journey, as a Director, a Creative, and a person over those 7 years?
HB: As I mentioned, I was recovering from a head injury, so much for those 7 years was in recovery. I had to take basically 3 years completely away from the project all altogether. I still have a tough time shooting, and very very difficult time editing. Creatively over these years I was trying all kinds of projects to see what I could do: I designed 3 different ski shapes with Parlor Custom Skis, began DJing during COVID where I had a standing weekly show, I continued to pursue fine art photography but got really into aerial photography, had 2 kids, moved across the country… Before Meko I shot and edited everything I had ever made. So, a big part of the puzzle was realizing I couldnt edit it, understanding that I needed help, and needed to find it. Through very close friends, I met Billy Montross, who would end up editing Meko, the trailer, the short version, and now our next film Dragon Mom. Building out the team with oakpool next was a critical step. We were able to take the first shoot, figure out our story and how we were going to tell it, and go back to the Bahamas 2 more times to execute. It’s then where I really became the director and not the one-man band. The team has been one of my favorite parts of the whole process. After learning how to reverse-engineer the sausage, so to speak, we came back with the same team to make Dragon Mom.
Creative Process & Storytelling
Acorns: As a filmmaker, what was the hardest story decision you had to make? Was there something you left on the cutting room floor that you still think about?
HB: There are some things I wish we could have filmed more than cut. We had this awesome idea of bringing Meko to Martha’s Vineyard to fish for stripers with Abbie Schuster, which i was really excited about. But the visa situation killed that. I wish there was a better way to describe what had happened with the visa and why it was and continues to be so challenging. It’s a huge blow to their whole family.
Acorns: Meko blends breathtaking natural imagery with very human, vulnerable storytelling. How did you balance those two threads — the beauty of the Bahamas and the resilience of its people?
HB: The beauty of the Bahamas is easy to see, it’s so beautiful, as is fly fishing. I really learned about the beauty of the people while working on this film. I now feel very close with Meko’s family and have really fallen in love with Bahamians. Their resiliency is hard to put into words, or for many Americans to understand. It’s so innate. No one wanted to leave after Hurricane Dorian. They all want to build right back where they had been living. It has been a true honor to speak on behalf of Bahamians. They get applauded every day for the natural beauty of the Bahamas, and I’m glad I could help shine a light on the beauty of their people as well. That’s what the black triangle on the Bahamian flag stands for. The resiliency of its people.
Acorns: Were there moments during filming where the story surprised you, taking the film in a direction you hadn’t planned?
HB: I certainly was not expecting their whole family to have their visas revoked that’s for sure. Otherwise, yeah, all the time. That is a huge part of why I love making documentaries as opposed to sticking to a script; you really never know what is going to happen and where the story may take you.
The “Why”
Acorns: Beyond fishing and climate, this film feels rooted in resilience and identity. What is the deeper story you want viewers to walk away with?
HB: I was really moved by Chris Dombrowski’s book Body of Water. It was such a beautiful deep dive into this world. While I loved the book, I intentionally set out to make something that was not the film version. It had been told so richly in print, i wanted to explore the world David Sr created, and the lineage he has forged. The resiliency is because of the people, Bahamians are humble, strong survivors.
Acorns: If you had to put the vibe of Meko into one sentence, what would it be?
HB: Junkanoo Baby! Hahaha. I really tried to just explain this man’s life as honestly as I could. So if there’s a vibe, it probably comes from Meko!
Acorns: How has telling Meko’s story changed the way you see your own work and your own purpose as a filmmaker?
HB: Telling Meko’s story has solidified to me the fact that what I work on needs to be something deeply rooted in the truth and reality of the story. The project truly has to be mission-driven, almost bullishly so. That way – in any effort that falls short, or hits the cutting room floor – it’s not in vain, but always to be true to telling the story as honestly as possible. If the task at hand is about getting the story told right and out to as many people as possible, then we are headed in the right direction.
It was critical as we shifted gears into working on Dragon Mom, where we were telling in some ways an even more intimate story, in cinema verité style, meaning immersed in with our subjects as life is occurring, and it was critical to continue to strip away any additions to their life that we may have wanted to try, and instead really just be there with them as they are living. I hope that makes some sense.
Collaboration & Craft
Acorns: Filmmaking is never a solo pursuit. Can you talk about the creative collaborations that shaped the film — from Meko himself to the producers and team behind the camera?
HB: Of course, the team has been one of my favorite aspects of this project and what we are building moving forward. My AC on Meko, who is now DP for Dragon Mom, Matteo Moretti, and I first met while he was on a backpacking trip as a student, and was actually featured IN The Tightest Line! Small world. The team at oakpool was critical to executing Meko. They came in when we were really only about ⅓ of the way through production with a few dreams of what it could be, and together we pulled the rest of the film together. James Hamilton was with us on the first production trip to the Bahamas in 2017, and we reunited at the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Symposium and reignited the project. James’ role is “producer” but that hardly explains the creative input, outreach, and genuine partnership we have formed over the course of making Meko. Alex Delano started as our graphic designer and over the course of the project rose to Producer status and is currently KILLING it my Assistant Director on Dragon Mom. It has been an evolution to say the least and a fun one at that.
Acorns: The film was produced with a carbon-neutral ethos. What role do you think sustainability and responsibility should play in storytelling today?
HB: The carbon-neutrality really came from a deep desire to walk the walk as much as we could. If we are out here describing climate change and its dangerous effects, we should probably be as good an example as we can be, even from a back-of-house standpoint.
Reflections & Future
Acorns: After living with this project for so long, what does it feel like to release it into the world?
HB: Honestly, it was a huge relief. A weight lifted, a huge exhale… We did it. Something that kept having the goal post moved over and over, we hit our biggest goal which was to be live, on a streaming service that is both available in the Bahamas, and something that most people are using. It’s about getting this story out as best as we can. I couldn’t be happier and more proud to tell Meko’s story at this scale and to share the Bahamian people with the world; it’s a dream come true.
Acorns: What do you hope someone feels after watching Meko for the first time?
HB: Hopefully inspired. Inspired to try something new, to see things from a different perspective. It would be great if people were moved to want to go to the Bahamas and try fly fishing for themselves; it’s the best!
Acorns: Has Meko opened the door for other stories you now feel compelled to tell?
HB: Absolutely. Making Meko has taught me about the kind of art and storytelling I want to be putting out into the world. Real human stories that tie us back to the natural world. I really didn’t know if I would be able to make films or if that was going to be “that.” So, to be moving forward, making, and releasing another documentary (this time about accessibility, ableism, and what true inclusivity really means) is something I’m very excited about. It’s called Dragon Mom, and I cannot wait for you all to see it!
